After drought, farmers now say land too wet

Houston Chronicle

Published
12:00 am CST, Friday, January 29, 2010

Rainy weather during the last months of 2009 has left some farmers in Southeast Texas in a soggy situation, almost enough to make them long for the dry days of the drought. All the precipitation has left their fields too wet to plow for spring and summer crops.

Many farmers say they haven't had a chance to prepare the land for the corn, grain sorghum, soybean and rice planting season that's approaching in March. Heavy tractors are getting stuck in soaked soil, while withered crops and winter weeds still command control of the fields.

“You drive out in the field, and they're not where they need to be,” said Fort Bend County farmer Alan Stasney. “It's been raining since November, and it's keeping us out of the fields. It's kind of an unusual event when you can't get a least a week of work in.”

Farmers are hard-pressed because delays can hurt their bottom line. When crops are planted late, there's sometimes less yield potential and profitability.

The wet conditions are in stark contrast to the parched landscape that existed throughout the state six months ago. From May to August, many areas, including the Houston region, were gripped in a severe to extreme drought.

Normal to above normal rainfall in the fall and El Niño have contributed to the turnaround that's left most of the state now drought-free, said state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon. Some lingering drought remains in the Corpus Christi and southwest areas, he said.

“With El Niño, the jet stream moves farther south during the winter, and we get more frequent storm events and cooler temperatures,” Nielsen-Gammon said. “Unfortunately, the precipitation normally increases as we move into springtime.”

Higher temperatures and seven to 10 dry days would help soak up the moisture and help farmers who are eager to tend to their fields.

Rain isn't over yet

Stasney, who grows corn, soybeans, grain sorghum and cotton in Beasley, said he'll have to do three months of work in three weeks in order to plant on time this year. All he needs is at least four days of dry weather to get started, he said.

Farmer Ray Stoesser said his crops of milo and corn in Dayton might not get planted in early March, as he'd planned. His rice crops, usually planted later in March, might be delayed, too, if the rain continues. When the fields dry out, Stoesser said, “we'll hit it hard and work late and all night.”

Farmers might have to wait a little longer for that dry weather. More rain is expected for today and early next week, according to the National Weather Service.

The extra moisture also has affected some pastures and winter crops. For example, no wheat was planted in Liberty County this year because farmers missed the planting time, said Ron Holcomb, a Liberty County extension agent with the Texas AgriLife Extension Service.

“The common practice is to get it in in October or before the first of November to avoid wet weather,” Holcomb said.

After months of drought, rain returned to the Houston area in September. Many spots in the region received more than 10 inches of rain in October, according to a year-end report by the Houston/Galveston National Weather Service. Wet weather continued in November, with normal rainfall amounts ranging from one to 7 inches across the region, the report said.

Cattle also hurting

It was still too much rain for annual grasses. More rain and cooler weather in December slowed grass growth, leaving little for cattle to eat, Holcomb said. Farmers in his county have had to rely on more hay to supplement cattle food supply, he said.

Not all farmers are dealing with wetness. Doug Brown, who has farmland in central Waller County, said his 200 acres are drying up and he plans to plant corn by mid-February.

“Last week I was talking to several farmers who were saying it was extremely wet,” Brown said. “I just didn't say anything. I can plow any field I got.”